Realising
by AnythingButOrdinaryGirl
Summary: They'd been best friends for almost a year yet there was something between them that neither could bring themselves to see until they finally realised it. OneShot.


**Here's a new oneshot for you guys. I started writing this a while ago and just finished last night, I'm not sure its as good as my others but read it and see what you all think and let me know :)

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**Realising**

_They'd been best friends for almost a year yet there was something between them that neither could bring themselves to see until they finally realised it.

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He groaned and pulled the covers over his head as the light of the new morning shone through his bedroom window disturbing his sleep. It was Monday morning again which meant school, which meant getting up early and being bored to death. He groaned once more as he turned over to check the time and realising it was almost time to get up, dragged himself off to his bathroom to ready himself for the day ahead. Appearing out of the room dressed in dark jeans and a blue T-Shirt, Troy ran his hands through his hair and it flopped effortlessly into place giving him an unkempt handsome look which all the girls swooned over. Of course, this added to the fact he was also the basketball captain only drove the girls even more crazy and he certainly had more attention than the president did half the time. Grabbing his bag he headed downstairs to the kitchen to be met by the delicious smell of his mother cooking breakfast.

"Morning honey" the middle aged woman greeted as her son walked into the room.

"Morning Mom" He mumbled still half asleep and wishing to crawl back into bed where it was comfortable and inviting.

Mrs Bolton shook her head and gave a little laugh "Oh isn't someone Mr. Cheery this morning"

"Mom it's early why would anyone be happy this early?" He prompted, clearly not a morning person.

"You aren't saying that when Gabriella is here early waking you up" She replied with a smirk on her face knowing that her son and Gabriella were definitely perfect for one another.

Troy groaned "Mom please, how many times will I tell you me and Ella are just friends?"

"Okay son if you say so" She said, not believing her only child.

"Whatever, I don't have time for your deluded fantasies I have to leave for school"

The blond haired boy headed out the door to his car not wanting to stick around to hear anymore of his mothers delusions and plus he was eager to pick his best friend of approximately a year up. Before putting his foot down on the gas, he grabbed a CD from his glove compartment and popped it in, knowing that Ella loved it. As he arrived at the Montez residence he beeped his horn and the door swung open to reveal a beautiful brunette ready for the day ahead.

"Morning Brie" He said with a smile on his face as the young girl hopped into the passenger seat and belted up ready to go.

"Morning yourself bestie" She replied, reaching over to give him a hug.

He gladly received the hug, pulling her close to him and smelling her strawberry scented hair. Every time he hugged her everything felt okay in life, he felt warmer and happier and she gave the best damn hugs. After pulling away the Latina pressed the play button on the CD player like every morning and was happy to see that Secondhand Serenade was in there and knowing that her best friend had put it in there for her only made her smile more as she sat back in her seat for the journey to school.

School was East high and was the largest school in the district and as they pulled into the parking lot at 8:17am the surrounding area of the school was already full of hustle and bustle with blurry eyed teens gossiping away and greeting their friends after the weekend. To say the school was the largest in the district didn't really give it any credit – it was huge and if you didn't know your way around you were sure to get lost for a good few hours.

Thinking about this Gabriella smiled slightly – she remembered her first day and how without Troy she definitely would have ended up very lost, very very lost. Her first day seemed so long ago now – she had been at the school practically a year now and already felt like part of the furniture. She had fitted in surprisingly well and had connected with Troy's group of friends instantly and within the space of a few days the girls had become closer than sisters while the boys became like overprotective brothers. It sounded so cliché like something out of a movie but the fact remained that it was true. Again she smiled at this as they got out of the car and headed towards their friends who were waiting for them at the entrance to the school.

As the pair approached their friends Gabriella went and greeted the girls first as usual; Sharpay and Taylor were like sisters to her now and they all got along so well. Sharpay was the drama queen; she loved drama and was in the drama club. She was outspoken and very much a girly girl who loved nothing more than a good gossip but she was also a very loyal friend and anyone who messed with her or anyone she loved would get a serious dressing down. Taylor was equally outspoken but was very much a science geek; she was captain of the scholastic decathlon, loved reading but could also be a girly girl when she felt like it.

"Hey girlies" the petite girl greeted her friends.

"Heya Gabby" was the resounding chorus from the girls.

Gabby was one of the many nicknames she had earned since she arrived in the town. Gabby was always a name she couldn't stand as she grew older – it sounded so childish t her but somehow that wasn't the case with her best friends. Ella was the most common nickname used for her though, while Troy often called her Brie or whatever else he could come up with on the day.

"So, what's the morning gossip then, ladies?" Gabriella questioned knowing that there was always something happening around the school and that Sharpay always without a doubt knew what was going on.

As the girls were gossiping about the latest goings on the boys interrupted them, done with their conversation.

"So who's hot topic of the day then?" Chad questioned, making the boys presence known.

"Er excuse me Chad but we were in the middle of a conversation in case you didn't realise" Sharpay spoke with a roll of her eyes before continuing "Didn't your mother tell you not to interrupt people when they're talking?" She questioned.

Taylor was quick to add to this comment with a smirk on her face "She did but he doesn't have room for anything but thoughts of food and basketball in his pea sized brain"

"Yeah...HEY no fair, I think of other things too" Chad argued realising they were making fun of him.

"Oh sure you do" Sharpay replied before the girls giggled at him.

Chad acted stupid half the time – probably because all he really did think about was food and basketball or girls too. However he was protective of the girls and knew they were never serious when they made fun of him. He was an average height African-American male with an afro that no one touched unless you didn't want your hand back.

"Whatever, anyway where is my good morning Ella? I don't believe I've had it yet" Chad asked, turning to face the beautiful brunette.

Zeke nodded his head in agreement "Yeah mine too"

Ella hugged Chad before turning her attention to Zeke. Zeke was a tall African-American who had a heart of gold. He loved to bake and was also on the basketball team with Troy and Chad. He was also like an older brother to Ella and the girls and he was usually the voice of reason but if he was provoked enough he could put up a mean fight.

After greetings were finished the bell rang signalling it was time for the school day to begin officially and the group headed to homeroom.

The day proceeded slowly until finally it was time for lunch. Troy headed to his locker to drop his books off before making his way to Gabriella's locker to walk her to lunch like he did most days. The routine had become a part of his day and he always found himself looking forward to it.

"Heya Brie, ready for lunch?" he asked as he approached the brunettes locker.

"Yup, let's go Troysie" She replied with a giggle, knowing that name always made him cringe due to the cuteness it possessed.

"You know anyone else called me that I would moan incessantly but for you Brie I will let it slide"

Gabriella shook her head at him "Haha okay Troy, let's go, I don't want sloppy leftovers"

So the pair set off to the cafeteria walking side by side, close together as they talked and laughed about anything and everything, feeling completely comfortable and happy with one another's presence.

The rest of their friends were already seated and chatting away when the duo approached their usual table in the lunch room. They slipped into their seats at the table, putting their lunch trays down and greeting their friends. After greetings were made the friends fell back into conversation with one another before separate conversations between various members of the group started. Troy and Gabriella fell into conversation about the weekend just passed and the food fight they got into while attempting to make cookies.

"It was so your fault, you put flour on me" Gabriella accused with a giggle as she placed a chip in her mouth.

"Noooo, no, no, it was you who started it Brie, you put the flour on me first" he shot back, determined to get her to agree that he was right.

"Haha don't kid yourself Bolton, you put flour on me first so I retaliated and you know I'm so right"

"Okay okay but you made me fall over, you can't deny that" he said with a chuckle, remembering the point when they had both landed on kitchen floor.

"You tripped me so I stumbled and fell down, so I grabbed your shirt but it turns out the floor was slippy and you fell and landed on top of me, almost crushing me to death" She said with a soft giggle as the conversations their other friends were having, stopped.

Troy looked at her with a smile on his face thinking about the position they had landed in that day before replying "Oh no missy don't give me that story, you done it on purpose, didn't you?"

Before she could reply they were interrupted by their friends who had listened to the last half of the conversation with great amusement along with confusion.

"Whoa, hold up there peoples, what went down with you two this weekend?" Sharpay asked boldly, knowing that's what everyone else was wondering too.

"Yeah, why were you two on the kitchen floor, _together_?" Taylor prompted; her eyebrows arched waiting for an answer.

Chad was quick to chime in as he looked on confused "Dude, did something happen between you two and you didn't tell your best friend?"

"Guys, stop. Really, you shouldn't listen to half the conversation and assume things from it" Troy told them, annoyed at their assumptions that something was going on between him and Gabriella.

"Troy it's okay, it's not a big deal, they probably didn't mean to just assume things" Gabriella soothed as she put her hand on his arm as a sign of affection before continuing; "Guys we're just friends, you guys know that by now, we were making cookies when things turned into a food fight and I clumsily fell, taking Troy down with me" She explained to the bewildered friends.

"Uh, oh okay, sorry guys, we were just curious is all" Sharpay replied, knowing she should never just make assumptions but at the same time knowing it was all too easy when it came to Troy and Gabriella.

Troy relaxed back into his chair again "It's fine. I just wish you guys would understand that me and Brie are just friends"

"Sorry dude. So what's everyone up to this weekend then?" Asked Zeke, always knowing when to step in and change the conversation.

As everyone once again fell back into conversation, Sharpay observed both Troy and Gabriella and their actions towards each other and sighed, wondering if either of them would ever admit or even realise that they would be so cute together and be perfect for one another. They had been close since Gabriella had started at the school and she had never seen Troy as obsessed with a girl as he was with her. She could tell he loved her by the way he smiled at her, the way he walked her to classes, the way he looked after her and most of all the way he looked at her. He always looked so adoringly at her, like she was the only person in the room and the most important person in the world. Gabriella too done the same thing and although they had only known each other a short period, Sharpay knew her like she would know a sister and knew that Gabriella liked Troy as more than a friend but was far too stubborn to ever admit it.

After lunch, the day passed by pretty quickly and the friends parted ways in the school halls, some going to after school clubs while others headed home or headed to their lockers to collect their things.

Gabriella was headed to her locker to grab her books for her homework that night when she spotted the poster for the dance coming up in a few short weeks. The winter ball was coming up this week and she sighed as her eyes scanned the colourful advertisement for it on the wall. She loved dances but she was yet to get a date and the one person she wanted to have asked her appeared to have no intentions of doing so and she knew it was because he didn't feel the same way she did. Troy and she were just best friends and that's all they would ever be and she was fine with that – most of the time. Sometimes she just wished he felt the same way but she was delusional she told herself as she started walking towards her locker again.

At her locker she started to collect the items she would need that night when she was approached by the baseball captain at the school.

"Hi Gabriella, can I ask you something?" The brown haired boy asked politely.

"Uh sure, go ahead" She told him, unsure of what he wanted.

"Um well I was just wondering if you would go on a date with me sometime, you know if you want to and stuff" He asked her, seeming slightly nervous as he gazed at the petite girl in front of him.

To say she was puzzled was probably an understatement. Gabriella had never really spoken to Jake much during her time at school. I mean sure she had seen him around and had even been to a couple of the baseball games at the school but she had never had a conversation with the guy. As she contemplated her answer she thought about how most people had said he was a genuinely sweet guy and she had never heard anyone say anything remotely bad about him.

"Jake, right? I'd really like it if you took me on a date." She told him with a smile on her face; happy she had a date for the first time in a while.

The boy grinned from ear to ear "Wow great, that's cool. So I'll pick you up around 6 on Friday?"

"Sure that would be nice" She replied as she handed him a slip of paper with her address on, presuming that he didn't know where she lived.

They said their goodbyes before they parted ways and Gabriella headed towards the front of the school where Troy would be waiting to take her home. She wondered how Troy would take the news but then she realised he would probably be indifferent about it because they were just friends after all and guys didn't care about this kind of stuff.

"Hey Brie, what took you so long?" Troy questioned as they walked towards the parking lot.

"Um I was talking with Jake Anderson, he came to ask me something at my locker" She replied honestly.

"Oh right, what did he want?"

"For me to go on a date with him" She replied cautiously, hoping Troy would really be okay with this and didn't have some sort of issue with the guy.

"Um oh right, and so are you going out with him then?" The sandy haired boy asked, trying to sound nonchalant and as though he couldn't care less when truly he was dreading the answer.

"Err yeah, I haven't exactly had people falling over themselves to ask me out on dates and he seems like a nice enough guy so I thought, why not? You know..." She said to him as she studied his body language carefully, subconsciously hoping for some sign of display of jealousy.

"Well that's great Ella, I'm sure you guys will have a blast together" He smiled at her while trying to convince himself it didn't matter who she went out with.

As they got into the car she thought about how he seemed okay with it and it only reassured her that they were only meant to be friends and nothing more than that and she just had to accept it and move on. Jake seemed nice enough and after Friday who knows what might come of them she thought to herself.

The week passed seemingly quick for once but things seemed strained between Gabriella and Troy which hadn't gone unnoticed by their friends and after hearing that Gabriella was going out with Jake, they figured Troy was upset about it and didn't want to deal with the issue. Of course every time anything was mentioned, the topic was swiftly changed and the pair insisted that everything was fine. But to their friends it was clear that everything was not fine.

Gabriella herself was lost as to what was happening but had decided she didn't feel like discussing it with anyone. Troy had seemed fine with it when she had told him, or so she thought anyway. However things seemed different between them this week, he was more distant and spent less time over at her house than he usually did. Then when he did make it over he appeared to have some excuse as to why he had to leave early. She just couldn't understand what she could have done to make him so distant with her this week and quite honestly she was getting slightly irritated with him, but for tonight she would put it aside and concentrate on having a good time with Jake.

At 6pm sharp the doorbell rang throughout the house and Gabriella made her way downstairs as her mother opened the door. After reaching them and greeting Jake they said goodbye to her mother and headed out to see a movie and get some food. The evening had been nice, Jake had been perfectly nice and the conversation had flowed almost effortlessly for the most part. Gabriella liked Jake, he seemed like a genuine guy and she thought maybe just maybe he could help her get over Troy once and for all.

"Um I had a really nice time tonight Jake, thanks you know for everything" Gabriella said sincerely as they stood on the porch of her house.

"I had fun too Gabriella, do you think maybe you would like to be my girlfriend?" He asked confidently as he stood in front of her.

Gabriella smiled at his words before replying "You know I think I would like that Jake"

Soon enough their lips met in a short and sweet kiss before Jake said goodnight and Gabriella headed up to bed unbeknownst to her that Troy had seen everything that had gone down from his window next door.

Troy was angry – he was angry at himself for being such an idiot. He just couldn't admit that he liked Ella as more than a friend and now he had lost every chance he had because she was dating Jake Anderson. He was so annoyed and the worst part was he had no real reason to dislike Jake because he had never been anything but nice but right now he wanted to hate him more than anything in the world for taking the only girl he had ever felt strongly about. He ran his hands through his floppy hair, frustrated at himself before flopping onto his double bed and trying to catch some sleep.

Troy couldn't face Gabriella that weekend and he knew avoiding her was only making the situation worse for not only him but for Ella who probably had no clue what was going on. Instead he had focused on basketball, taking all his frustration out on the ball and net until the weekend finally ended and Monday morning arrive once again.

Troy rolled out of bed as his alarm clock made a harsh beeping noise and after getting ready he headed downstairs.

"Oh hey sweetie" His mother greeted him as he trudged into the kitchen as usual.

"Hi Mom" He said glumly not wanting to make any large amount of conversation this morning.

"Oh son you look like you haven't slept in a week, what's wrong with you this weekend, huh? You seem so down and I haven't seen Ella around in a few days, did something happen with you two?"

"Mom I'm fine, really" He tried to not only convince his mother but also himself as he bit into an apple, not feeling like much else.

Mrs Bolton shook her head as she wondered if her son thought she was stupid "Okay son, don't lie to me. I can tell when something is wrong"

"Oh I'm guessing this has something to do with Gabriella and that new boyfriend of hers" Mr Bolton added as he walked into the kitchen, placing a kiss on his wife's cheek and grabbing some toast.

"Oh my dear Troy, you should tell Ella that you like her before she gets serious with this guy, you two are so stubborn but would be so perfect together" The woman replied with a smile on her face thinking how much she would love to have Gabriella as her daughter one day.

Once again Troy groaned inside and wondered why everyone wanted to poke their nose in his business. "Ugh just leave it guys, seriously I'm fine and I'm also going to be late for school so see you later" He said as he rushed out the house, not wanting to discuss his personal life.

He hopped into the car and headed straight to school, forgetting that he had to pick Gabriella up in his haste to get out of the house and forget about her and everything he was feeling.

Gabriella approached the school and ran straight to class in order to make it on time before her homeroom teacher gave her detention. She was furious with Troy, not only was he avidly avoiding her, he didn't even have the decency to let her know he wouldn't be picking her up. She had to walk twenty minutes to get to the school and she was almost late and Gabriella Montez was never late, never. Entering the class she gazed around to find a sheepish looking Troy and threw him a furious look before storming to her seat at the back of the room.

As the bell signalled it was time for first period she walked out the class, her mood no better than 10 minutes ago and sought out Troy in the crowd of people.

"What the heck happened to you this morning Troy, huh? As if avoiding me for goodness knows what isn't bad enough, you don't have any decency to let me know you wouldn't be picking me up this morning and left me to walk and almost be late to class." She raged at him, annoyed at his recent actions.

"I'm sorry Ella I completely forgot this morning, I was in a rush to get out because my parents were nagging at me again" He replied half truthfully.

"Well you never usually just 'forget' and besides what's your excuse for ignoring me this past week?"

"I, um, Ella, I, I was just busy with um basketball and stuff and yeah I got sidetracked, I wasn't avoiding you" He replied nervously, hoping she would believe him.

"Oh yeah of course Troy, you were too busy to even send me a text. Whatever"

With this she stormed off to first period not wanting to listen to any more excuses that came out of his mouth. If he wanted to avoid her and lie to her then as far as she was concerned they were no longer friends.

Meanwhile Troy was stunned as he stood there and watched the usually sweet and innocent Gabriella storm away from him. He couldn't believe he had just lied to the one person who in such a short time had come to mean everything to him and he cursed himself as watched her retreating form disappear into the sea of bodies in the hallway. He was so angry at himself; he couldn't believe once again he didn't have the guts to just be honest with her and make things right between them.

The week wore on as usual at an excruciatingly slow pace for the teens at East High but for two teens and their friends the week appeared to be never ending. Things had gone from bad to worse between Troy and Gabriella and their friends were growing ever impatient with their silence and their refusal to back down and stop being so stubborn.

"Troy will you please go and talk to her again, I'm sick of seeing your moping face, it's depressing me man" Chad exclaimed impatiently as he watched his best friend's eyes following Gabriella down the hallway. Chad himself had had enough of this whole atmosphere and wished the couple would just stop being so damn difficult.

Troy sighed. It wasn't as if he didn't want to talk to his best friend, he'd tried but she was refusing to give him the time of day and well if he was completely honest he wasn't surprised after how he'd acted lately. "Man I've told you, she doesn't want to talk to me, I tried"

Chad pushed his friend in the direction of Gabriella "Go and try again! Beg on your knees if you must but this isn't just affecting you two anymore, it's affecting the group so don't come back until you've tried everything, you got that man?"

Troy was shocked at his friend's insistence but knew he was right, it was killing the group as well as him and Gabriella, the girls were sticking with Gabriella and the boys with him and neither wanted to be separated or be forced to take sides in reality. It was time to suck it up and just be happy for his friend.

"Gabriella!" He called from the other end of the hallway as he ran to catch up with the beautiful brunette.

Gabriella rolled her eyes and continued her journey through the halls; she didn't have time for this.

Troy ran a little faster and caught up with his best friend, stepping in front of her to prevent her from walking away from him. "Gabriella! Please, don't ignore me"

Gabriella sighed and ran her tanned fingers through her curly locks; she wanted so badly to make things right between them but Troy had been such an idiot lately that it was hard not to want space away from him. "Give me a good reason why I shouldn't?" She asked.

"I was an ass and I'm sorry, I was just being an idiot and thought that maybe you wouldn't want to spend as much time with me now you have a boyfriend. I got caught up in my stupid thoughts instead of just talking to you about it"

This wasn't the whole truth and Troy knew it but he didn't want to admit to himself or to her that this was really about him being jealous of Jake going out with Gabriella.

"You idiot, you know you can tell me anything and you know I'd never push you out Troy, your my best friend, I hate being without you" She smiled slightly and shook her head at him.

Troy smiled at her "Does this mean we can go back to being friends? I miss us and I miss the group hanging out together"

Gabriella simply nodded her head and smiled as she took his arm and informed him he could walk her to History considering he had the same class. Troy was more than happy to oblige and as they walked, the pair fell into conversation as though nothing had ever happened between them.

Troy was immensely pleased to have his best friend back as the week went on but something inside him was still bugging him about Jake. He didn't know what it was and he was going to do his damn best to ignore it for Gabriella's sake he thought as he approached her locker.

"Hello Brie, ready to head home?" He smiled as he grabbed her heavy pile of books from her small hands.

Gabriella thanked him for the gesture with a smile "Of course I am"

There was a comfortable silence between the two as they walked out the school and towards the parking lot.

"So are you hanging out with the gang tonight?" Gabriella broke the silence.

"Yeah, how about you or do you have a date tonight?"

"No, no date but Jake is going to tag along if that's okay?"

Troy gritted his teeth together and forced a smile onto his face "Of course it is Brie. You don't have to ask me permission, he is your boyfriend"

Gabriella smiled "I know but I just wanted to be sure you'd be okay with it"

"Not a problem" Troy fake smiled once again.

That night the gang had decided to hang out at the mall, of course this being the girls decision not the guys. They'd been walking around for a while and the girls had bought quite a few items while the guys were just lagging behind complaining as always.

Troy was growing ever impatient with Jake and Gabriella; he just couldn't stand them together no matter how hard he tried.

"Hey Ella, you need me to carry anything for you?" Troy asked his best friend as always when they headed to the mall.

Gabriella thought about this for a second before looking over adoringly at her boyfriend "No, it's okay Troy. Jake has most of them and the ones I have are not too heavy at all"

Troy just bit his lip and nodded before walking ahead to regain his composure, he knew he was acting irrationally but he just couldn't help it.

"So Jake, how's baseball going this season? I heard you guys were doing pretty well" Chad questioned the addition to the group.

"Oh baseball is really good thanks. Yeah we're winning most of our games so we're hoping to be champions this year but I guess we'll see"

Troy, who had been listening, chimed in "Yeah, I heard you guys have never won the championships before!"

Jake was startled that the basketball boy was talking to him "Uh yeah, it's never been done before"

"I guess you're not getting your hopes up too much then?" Troy asked with a slight bitterness to his voice.

Jake and the wildcats were slightly taken aback by this and Gabriella nudged him and gave him a warning look as they headed to their next store. As the evening wore on Troy had said several comments to Jake that where intended to be taken personally and these had not gone unnoticed by much of the young group of teenagers.

As Troy sat on a chair in their latest store, Zeke approached "Dude what is your problem? You've done nothing but hate on Jake all night and he's been nothing but nice to you!"

Troy sighed and ran his fingers through his shaggy hair "I don't know! I just don't like him and I've tried to like him and them together but I can't man! I can't go on pretending"

Troy had failed to see the look on Zeke's face as he was talking; a look that signalled he better stop talking or Gabriella would hear him.

"Well it's great to know where you officially stand on all of this Troy. You're such a jerk, you can't even be happy for your best friend. Well now I know how you feel. I'm out of here"

Gabriella found Jake and headed home after hearing Troy's thoughts on her boyfriend; she couldn't stand to be around someone who was so freaking jealous and spiteful any longer and as she arrived home, her anger showed as she threw her purse onto the sofa.

"Gahhhhhhhhh"

Jake sighed; he knew what he had to do now. He wasn't stupid, he knew Troy's comments were intentional tonight but he also knew that as a general rule Troy Bolton was not a bad guy. He recognised the signs he was seeing and he knew he couldn't be in the middle of all this drama.

"Gabriella, sit down, we need to talk" He said as she paced the room in her anger.

The petite girl's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she made her way over to the sofa and took a seat next to her boyfriend.

Jake sighed "Gabriella, I like you but we have to stop pretending"

If Gabriella wasn't confused before she was now and as she opened her mouth to question what was going on, Jake interrupted.

"We have to stop pretending like this is going somewhere when it's clearly never going to amount to anything"

Gabriella's eyes widened as her mouth opened quickly "Jake, if this is about the stuff Troy said, I'm really sorry. He's an ass and I can't believe how rude he was, he's not my best friend if he speaks to people like that. I swear..."

She was interjected by a firm but soft voice "No, let me finish Ella. It's not about Troy's comments, not essentially anyway. I've seen you two when you're around each other and it's something I don't want to come in between"

"Troy and I have only ever been just friends. That's where it stops, I swear"

Jake shook his head at how naive and blind to the truth she was. "Gabriella, if you could see the way he looks at you, you'd understand why I'm doing this. Troy doesn't want to dislike me but I'm taking the one thing away that he loves more than anything. You both think you're just friends but he looks at you like you're the only girl in the world and you can tell how in love with you he is"

Gabriella opened her mouth to speak but found no words coming out; all she could do was curse very loudly in her mind. Troy Bolton would be a dead man soon if he came near her again.

Jake smiled at her loss for words because even if she didn't know it just yet he could see that she too had fallen for her best friend "Ella please understand I'm doing what's best for everyone here. I know you don't understand this but you can thank me when you do"

"Too right I don't understand! I do not love my best friend and he doesn't love me, why do people always assume these things? Argh I'm going to fucking kill Troy Bolton when I get my hands on him. He's ruining my life and he's not even in the room!"

Jake smiled as he left the house, it was strange he was smiling people would think but he knew he was doing the right thing. The chemistry between both Gabriella and Troy was so intense you could feel it from the other end of a hallway! They just needed a push in the right direction and he hoped that this was a step in that direction.

By time the next morning came, Gabriella was so worked up and angry that she headed straight into school and sought out her supposed best friend. Troy had seen her coming and knew this couldn't be a good sign but as he opened his mouth to apologise he was cut off.

"Don't speak Troy. Are you happy? You got what you wanted all along; Jake broke up with me because of you. Yes you were the reason he broke up with me and I'm so fucking annoyed at you Troy. I was happy damn it and now it's over and it's all your fault!"

Troy had never seen Gabriella get so angry before and he had to say he was ever so slightly terrified of what she may do. "Ella, God I'm so sorry. Why would he break up with you over me? I'm a fucking idiot, he shouldn't listen to me. I'll go talk to him and make this right"

Guilt washed over him as he made a point to move to go and find Jake and put things right before he completely destroyed his best friend's life for his jealousy.

Gabriella sighed "Don't bother. I tried talking to him about it but he said it's what's right for all of us. He has some strange idea in his head that you're in love with me and so we're over for good. Just stay out of it Troy"

Troy punched the locker besides him as he thought about what he'd caused. He could see his Brie was upset and she was beyond pissed at him. There was also a trace of something else in her eyes but he couldn't fathom what it could be.

"Troy what on earth has gotten into you? Why are you punching lockers?" Sharpay asked the sandy haired boy as she approached him.

Chad nodded in agreement "Yeah man, what happened?"

As Troy proceeded to explain the latest developments in his situation the gang rolled their eyes. Once again they were going to be stuck between the two of them.

"I swear dude, you better go and sort this out. I am not going through all this again, it's stupid" Chad stated as he walked off to class with his other friends.

As the rest of the week progressed, Troy tried to contact Gabriella time and time again; calling her and even trying to stop her in the halls. Alas it was to no avail and he had given up as he sat outside on the basketball court in the extreme heat after an intense game between him, the ball and net.

Sharpay could see the hurt he felt in his whole presence as she approached him "Hey Troy, good game?" She queried.

Troy looked up and smiled slightly before shrugging "It was...Intense"

"Troy you need to go and see her and tell her how you feel before it's too late"

Troy just sighed as he lay back on the scorching asphalt "I've tried Shar, honestly I've tried but she just doesn't want to speak to me anymore. I've tried apologising and begging for forgiveness but you can hardly blame her for not wanting to talk to me"

The blonde shook her head and decided tough love it was "Troy Alexander Bolton, wake up and smell the roses! You have feelings for Gabriella and you need to accept them and tell her. That's what I meant"

Troy sat up quickly, ready to argue that he didn't but as he opened his mouth to speak, Sharpay had already stood up, ready to leave.

"Just think about it Troy"

With that she left and once again Troy was left alone with his thoughts about Gabriella. As he thought about all the good times they'd had together he realised he needed to sort this out once and for all.

Arriving at her house later that day, he felt a sense of nervousness, he didn't know why but a part of him was scared that she would refuse him like before. What if she no longer wanted to be friends with him? These thoughts were racing through his mind and it suddenly snapped in his mind that he was being an idiot, he never wanted to lose his best friend and damn it he wasn't going too. He was going to do everything in his power to make this right.

As the doorbell echoed through the Montez residence, Gabriella wondered who could be calling at this time as she made her way to the front door. Opening the door she rolled her eyes and went to close it again only to have Troy place his foot in the way.

"Troy can you move your foot. I don't have time for this"

"Well make time, I have stuff to say and I'm not leaving until you hear me out"

Gabriella sighed; this was just what she needed on a Saturday afternoon and worst of all she was going to have to let him in before the neighbours started talking. "Fine but make it quick"

Troy entered the large house and paced the living room floor as he thought of the words he wanted to say, he really hadn't thought this through enough.

Gabriella watched his nervousness and tapped her foot with growing impatience at the young boy in front of her. "Well..." She said, hoping it would start him off.

Troy sighed and turned to look at her, the site almost taking his breath away. He hadn't noticed when he'd first opened the door but she was wearing just sweats and an old baggy T-shirt and yet she looked incredible. That was one of things that he loved about his best friend, she could wear a plastic bag and she'd still look absolutely amazing. That's when the words he was looking for all along just tumbled from his mouth without warning.

"I love you"

Both teens stood frozen as though time had stood still as the words hung in the air around them. Troy couldn't believe what he'd just said and was trying to comprehend how and when he'd fallen in love with his best friend while Gabriella was completely shocked at the statement that not so long ago her ex boyfriend had told her was true.

"I, uh, um, wow!" Were the only coherent words Gabriella was able to form as she tried to regain her composure.

Troy was kicking himself; he'd just made the biggest fool of himself. "Look briw, I honestly only just discovered my feelings so I'm sorry for my outburst, it just came out. Well I guess I never _just _discovered my feelings, well not consciously anyway, I sort of think I've been suppressing all this stuff down about you because we're supposed to be best friends and..."

"Whoa hold up, you're talking too fast Troy. Its okay, really it is. I've sort of um you know had feelings for you for a while too" She confessed as a blush rose to her tanned cheeks.

It took time before Troy registered her words and a smile formed on his face "Wow, really? Are you sure about that?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes at him before smiling "Of course I'm sure Troy. After all I agreed to go out with Jake because I thought it would help me get over you or something" She admitted as the blush on her cheeks increased and her eyes fell to the floor.

"You did? Well I wasn't expecting that but I guess I have something to be thankful to him for."Troy said as he moved a step closer to his best friend.

The closeness of the tall handsome boy in front of had her mesmerised and she found her breath hitching in the back of her throat as her gaze met his cerulean blue eyes "I um yeah, um we do have him to be thankful for I guess"

Neither were really concentrating on the conversation anymore as Troy's head moved slowly downwards towards Gabriella's, his tongue running across his lips wetting them in anticipation of what was to come. Before long their lips had connected in a sweet kiss which sent sparks of attraction soaring through the young teen's bodies. Their tongues soon became locked in a battle of dominance before the lack of oxygen in their lungs forced them to pull back.

Troy rest his forehead on Gabriella's as he regained his breath and he smiled at the site of her closed eyes and the sound of her ragged breaths. As she opened her eyes her smile matched the boy's opposite and she bit her lip. The kiss had felt incredible for both of them, their connection was evident through the sparks that both had felt and neither teen could believe what they had been missing all this time.

"Be my girlfriend?" Troy asked as he studied the beautiful Latina in front of him, amazed by her beauty.

Gabriella smiled widely "I'd love too"

Troy connected their lips once again in a kiss that was fiery and passionate as they both released the feelings that each had been harbouring for a long time. The pair felt like they were on the top of the world while in each other's arms and whether they lasted forever was a game of wait and see but they both realised that what they had was special and right now finally being with each other was all that mattered.

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**I own the storyline only, all rights go to rightful owners. Please Reivew :) (Also feel free to check out my other stories)**


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